


Love We Create

by ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)



Series: Flufftober 2019 [9]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Family, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 11:49:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20975423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell
Summary: Clary swings by Maryse's bookshop with an unexpected surprise.





	Love We Create

**Author's Note:**

> Flufftober Day 9: Paint

The bell over the door to the bookshop rings out, and Maryse calls from the back "Be right with you!" 

She finishes sorting through a few new arrivals she plans on making a window display of before going to see who came in. Expecting a customer or perhaps Lucian, Maryse wasn't expecting to see a familiar fall of red hair looking at the art section. 

"Clary!" Maryse says, noticing the large rectangular case she carries with her. When Clary’s memories of the Shadow world came back she decided to finish out the last few months of art school for the year, and the charcoal smudged along the side of her face is a good hint she probably just came from a class. 

"Hey Mrs… Maryse," Clary corrects quickly with a smile, making her way over to the counter. “Are you busy? I can come back later.” 

Maryse shakes her head. “No, no. Just putting some things away in the back, hardly anything pressing.” She raises an eyebrow, curious. “What can I do for you?” 

“Well,” Clary starts slowly, hesitantly. “Actually, I made something for you. If you don’t like them, or don’t want to use them, it’s totally fine! I just… the inspiration hit, you know?” Clary says with a shrug, alternating between eager smiles and quickly looking away. 

“Let me see,” Maryse suggests. Clary nods, placing her case on the counter before pulling out two paintings. The first is a beautiful rendition of the bookstore from the outside, nestled into it’s little section of the street. Upon closer inspection, there’s a figure in the window that is very clearly meant to be Maryse. The second is a small stack of books on a table by a chair in what she immediately recognizes as the Institute’s Library. To any mundane the titles wouldn’t mean much - one is actually written in Enochian - but Maryse recognizes the Nephilim literature immediately. 

A little over a year ago Maryse wasn’t certain if Clary could ever like her, not after the way Maryse acted around her when Clary first came into their lives, but she’s grateful every day for the young woman who so eagerly welcomed her into her heart. Sometimes Maryse wonders if she’s cut out for this sort of life, even with Lucian and her family by her side, but little moments like this remind her that everything is going to be just fine. 

They way they tie her past and present together is so simple, yet so significant. Maryse isn’t used to getting gifts just for the sake of it, and between the surprise factor and the casual intimacy of the thought behind them, it’s almost overwhelming. 

Looking at the artwork, a tear or two spring to Maryse’s eyes. They’re lovely, both meaningful to her in very specific ways, and the surprise that Clary had thought of her and gone so out of her way to make these for her--

“I thought it might be nice, for the shop or to keep at home? I know you aren’t a Shadowhunter any more, and if it’s a bad reminder I’ll just give it to Izzy for the Institute or something, but-” Clary starts, but Maryse cuts her off. 

“They’re beautiful. Thank you, Clary,” Maryse says, coming out from behind the counter and wrapping her arms around Clary. “I love them.” 

And then after a moment’s hesitation, Maryse adds, “I love you, too.”   
  
Clary only hugs back harder. 

**Author's Note:**

> (Find me on [Tumblr](http://bytheangell.tumblr.com) and also on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/By_The_Angell)! <3 )


End file.
